Jain Samachar is a Restricted Group with 3226 members.

Primary Navigation

1839Regarding Jain Minority status

Expand Messages

Pramod Jain

Feb 5, 2014

0 Attachment

Jai Jinendra,

There
are some misconceptions regarding the minority status given to Jain. Please pass
on the following message to any Jain who have doubt or don’t know “Why minority
status is important for Jainism”. Also you can post this message in any forum:

There is wrong impression that minority status is being asked by Jains for
some reservation or benefits. It is not SC/ ST/ OBC quota. In fact, being
minority will rule Jains out of reservation as religion based reservation
cannot be given in India. It is being sought by Jains as this will give them
distinct identity to religiously different group like sikhs, parsis, muslims
etc.

This is a very old demand, more than100 years, by Jains and anyone who knows
about Jainism will agree that it is entirely different religion.

It will take a long time to discuss the essence of Jainism. But the main
differences between Jainism and Hinduism are:

1) Jains don't believe that someone has created or can destroy the Universe.

2) There is no concept of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva (the Supreme gods of Hindus)
in Jainism.

3) Jains consider 24 "Tirthankars" as their supreme gods. They have
taken birth as human being and then attain "Moksha" by virtue of
their leaving wordly possession and "tap", and not by worshiping any
dietary.

4) The scared books of Hindus (like Gita, Puran etc) are totally different
from that of Jain sacred books (Jinvani etc).

5) The main teachings of Jainism are vastly different from other religions.

6) The "Dev" in Hindus or “angels” in Muslims and Christianity,
who lives in heaven, are immortals. While in Jainism all of them are mortal and
die like any living being and take rebirth as human or in any other “gati”.

7) The philosophy of worship is also different. Worshiping in Hinduism believes
in surrender to some higher entity, while Worshiping in Jainism is merely
instrumental in self-realization. Emphasis is more on securing samyaktva i.e.
rationality rather than ritualistic worship.